Case Study 2

1. What’s your current role in mining?

I’m the Exploration Field Supervisor for Rex Minerals. I allocate work to a team of 12, as well as cutting core and processing it. I also get the samples ready to be analysed.

2. Have you been in your current role long?

I’ve been in this role for two years, but I had been here at Hillside a year prior to that.

3. What was your first job in mining?

My first role was as a Field Assistant.

4. Did you need to do some training or gain some experience before you entered the mining industry? What was it?

Previous knowledge would have been a bonus, but I was lucky enough to receive on the job training. I did have some tickets that were useful and my past job experience also helped. I would definitely suggest that people look to do some training before they enter any role now though.

5. Did you apply for many jobs within the sector before you were successful?

I was pretty persistent and spoke to the Field Supervisor who was in charge at the time. I would have spoken to him on many occasions about gaining a role with Rex. Mining isn’t my background, so I was really lucky to get this opportunity and I didn’t have to move, which was a big bonus.

6. What’s your best advice to people applying for jobs in the SA mining sector?

Be patient and persistent, keep applying for roles. If you have some tickets and certificates behind you, that always helps make you stand out a bit more. Keep an eye out on vacancies and try to speak with someone about the roles you are applying for.

7. How long have you been in the industry now?

Just over three years now.

8. What is it you like most about your job?

I like the fact that I am managing people and working with the guys to set up the day to day activities. I get along with people pretty well, so it makes the day interesting.

9. What’s the biggest challenge in your job?

I guess the biggest challenge can be some of the Human Resources issues that can crop up from time to time. We’re quite a small team, so day to day activities or conflict can be pretty challenging, but we’re a close knit team, so issues tend to resolve well.

10. What’s the most unusual thing you’ve learnt about the industry while working in it?

It’s amazing what minerals can be extracted out of rocks and how they go about doing that, you think of copper in its finished form and don’t tend to associate it with an ordinary looking grey rock, so the fact that they can get it out of this normal looking rock is pretty cool.